even better

persistence/permanent_vars.json

@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-{"messages_read": 66, "messages_sent": 41, "commands_executed": 31, "photos_sent": 6, "log": [], "chat_members": {"364520272": "Remy Moll"}, "reboots": 57}

persistence/persistent_init.json

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{"messages_read": 0, "messages_sent": 0, "commands_executed": 0, "photos_sent": 0, "log": [], "chat_members": {}, "reboots": 0}

persistence/rw.py

@@ -1,21 +1,19 @@
 import json
 import time
-
+import os
 class Variables():
     """"""
 
-    def __init__(self,savefile_path):
+    def __init__(self,savefile_path, init_path):
         self.path = savefile_path
+        self.init_path = init_path
         self.last_action = ""
         # last performed action, if only reads are made, then the underlying var has not been changed
         # and doesn't need to be read again
         self.savefile = {}
 
     def write(self, name, value):
-        if self.last_action == "read":
-            pre = self.savefile
-        else:
-            pre = self.read()
+        pre = self.read()
         pre[name] = value
         try:
             file = open(self.path,"w")
@@ -25,35 +23,33 @@ class Variables():
         except:
             print("Config not written - critical")
 
+
     def read(self, name=""):
         if self.last_action == "read":
-            vars = self.savefile
-        else:
-            try:
-                file = open(self.path,"r")
-                vars = json.load(file)
-                file.close()
-                self.savefile = vars
-                self.last_action = "read"
-            except:
-                return None
-
-        if len(name) != 0:
-            vars = vars[name]
-
-        return vars
-
-    def increment(self, name=""):
-        if self.last_action == "read":
-            pre = self.savefile
-        else:
-            pre = self.read()
+            if name == "":
+                return self.savefile
+            else:
+                return self.savefile[name]
 
         try:
-            pre[name] += 1
-            file = open(self.path,"w")
-            json.dump(pre, file)
+            if os.path.exists(self.path):
+                file_path = self.path
+            else:
+                file_path = self.init_path
+            file = open(file_path,"r")
+            vars = json.load(file)
             file.close()
-            self.last_action = "write"
+            self.savefile = vars
+            self.last_action = "read"
         except:
-            print("Config not written - critical")
+            return None
+
+        if name != "":
+            vars = vars[name]
+        return vars
+
+
+    def increment(self, name=""):
+        pre = self.read(name)
+        plus1 = pre + 1
+        self.write(name, plus1)